The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have partnered to host open houses that connect USTA Tennis on Campus (TOC) participants with exciting career opportunities as tennis-teaching professionals. The program will officially kick off in January during the USPTA Northern, Southwest, California and Hawaii division conventions.

A major objective of the alliance is to get USPTA pros to partner with local TOC chapters. As such, every USPTA division will invite registered local TOC club participants to attend the division convention free of charge. At these conventions, TOC participants will get a glimpse into all that the tennis-teaching profession has to offer and will be introduced to the benefits of becoming a certified USPTA Pro. They also will have the opportunity to sit in on all of the educational seminars at the convention, network with USPTA members who have made a successful living from teaching tennis, and socialize with other attendees.

"Tennis on Campus represents fertile ground for the tennis professionals of the future. This collaboration is vital for USPTA to tap into a network of passionate players who might very well want to make teaching tennis a career choice," said USPTA CEO John Embree.

"We see this opportunity as a great first step toward improving our efforts to recruit the next generation of teaching pros and coaches in America," said USTA Chief Executive of Community Tennis Kurt Kamperman.

The coordinated efforts between the USTA and USPTA also will include honoring one male and one female TOC player at the USPTA annual awards ceremony with the TOC Teaching Award for demonstrating exceptional ability and talent in teaching tennis in their respective communities. In addition, the partnership includes sharing editorial produced by both organizations that will be featured in the TOC newsletter and USPTA's ADDvantage magazine, as well as providing the tools and resources for USPTA pros to connect with local TOC clubs and participants, so that the pros can help mentor those who are enthusiastic about a career in tennis, and help them prepare for USPTA Certification Exams when they are ready to take the next step.

The USTA Tennis On Campus program features more than 35,000 college students competing nationwide in intramural and intercollegiate co-ed club play using the World TeamTennis format. Since its inception in 2000, Tennis On Campus has grown significantly and is played on more than 600 college campuses across the country. Developed by the USTA, the Tennis On Campus program gives college students the opportunity to build leadership skills, network in a co-ed sports environment and compete on a college team without the rigors of playing in a varsity program. With year-round match play, and regional and national championship competition, students maintain active and healthy lifestyles through their college years. For more information, visit www.tennisoncampus.com.

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